The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree having fruit which matures early in the season, and is self-fertile and productive with a low physiological fruit drop. The tree has showy and pink flowers with abundant pollen, and can produce a round elliptic, clingstone fruit suitable for dessert and with a good keeping quality. The fruit has a sturdy and attractive skin with a white ground color and a bright red blush, a melting flesh having a white color with some red pigment, a moderate firmness, moderate sweetness, and a low acidity, giving a good taste.
All places and addresses mentioned in this specification are in Japan, unless otherwise specified.
Our breeding program was aimed at obtaining a new variety of peach tree producing, first, a fruit having a high marketability for dessert due to a good appearance, taste, texture and keeping quality, and maturing early in the season; second, bearing stably and resistant to pests and diseases; and third, easy to grow and possible to grow without bagging.
The new variety of peach tree according to this invention originated from crossing `Koyohakuto (.female.)`.times.`Saotome (.male.)` in 1973 at the Fruit Tree Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, residing at Ohara, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan. The seedling was planted and numbered as `65-13` in 1974 at the Chiyoda Experiment Farm of the Fruit Tree Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, residing at Kamishizuku, Chiyoda-mura, Niihari-gun, Ibaraki-ken, Japan. The tree bore fruit for the first time in 1976. The tree was selected, first, with regard to the quality of the fruit and the growing character, in 1978. From 1981, the thus-selected tree was subjected to local adaptability tests at the experimental stations in Fukushima-ken, Yamanishi-ken, Okayama-ken and the like, as the number `Peach Tsukuba--84`. As a result, this new variety of peach tree according to this invention was judged to have a good quality fruit and growing character. This new variety of peach tree was named `Chiyohime`, in June 1986.
The pedigree of `Chiyohime` is shown in FIG. 1.
It is known that `Koyohakuto`, used as a female parent in the breeding of `Chiyohime`, was discovered as a bud-mutant among the `Hakuto` trees planted at Koyo-mura, Akaiwa-gun, Okayama-ken, Japan. `Koyohakuto` attracted general attention from about 1950. The main botanical characteristics of `Koyohakuto` suitable for dessert are as follows.
Tree: PA0 Leaves: PA0 Flowers: Male -- sterile. PA0 Fruit: PA0 Culture: The tree is suitable for growth in fertile soil. Artificial pollination must be carried out, as the flowers have no pollen. PA0 Tree: PA0 Leaves: PA0 Flowers: Self-fertile. PA0 Fruit: PA0 Culture: The fruit ripens very early and thus suffer little damage by pests and diseases, and are easy to grow without bagging.
Habit of branches.--Spreading. PA2 Vigor.--Strong. PA2 Flower bud.--Many. PA2 Thickness of shoot.--Thick. PA2 Size.--Medium. PA2 Color.--Green. PA2 Glands.--Reniform. PA2 Form.--Showy. PA2 Color.--Pink. PA2 Flowering time.--Late, e.g., early-to-mid April in Okayama-ken, Japan. PA2 Size.--Large, 200-250 g. PA2 Shape.--Round elliptic. PA2 Color of skin.--White with attractive red blush. PA2 Color of flesh.--White with red around stone. PA2 Flesh.--Melting, firm (same as `Hakuto`), with a fine texture and juicy when fully-ripe. PA2 Taste.--Sweet. PA2 Ripening time.--Mid -- late season, e.g., early-to-mid August in Okayama-ken, Japan. PA2 Keeping quality.--Good. PA2 Shipping quality.--Good. PA2 Habit of branches.--Slightly upright. PA2 Vigor.--Strong. PA2 Production.--Productive. PA2 Size.--Large. PA2 Shape.--Lanceolate. PA2 Color.--Green. PA2 Glands.--Reniform. PA2 Form.--Showy. PA2 Color.--Pink. PA2 Pollen.--Abundant. PA2 Flowering time.--Middle, e.g., early April in Kanagawa-ken, Japan. PA2 Size.--Small, 80-120 g. PA2 Shape.--Round to oblate and uniform. PA2 Color of skin.--White ground color with bright red blush. PA2 Color of flesh.--White with no red pigment. PA2 Flesh.--Soft melting, fine texture, and juicy. PA2 Stone.--Clingstone with some pit splitting. PA2 Taste.--Moderately sweet (about 10 in refractometer index) and low acid (about pH 4.3-4.5). PA2 Ripening time.--Very early (ripening in early June in Shizuoka-ken, mid-June in southwestern regions of Japan, late June in Okayama-ken and Yamanashi-ken, and early July in Fukushima-ken, Japan). An average of 73 days will elapse between full bloom and ripening.
`Saotome`, used as a male parent in the breeding of `Chiyohime`, originated from a crossing of `Hakuho`.times.`Robin` in 1957 at the Horticulture Division of National Institute of Agriculture, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, residing at Nakaharashimojuku, Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, was selected from the seedlings as the individual number `Se-13` in 1964, and thereafter, from 1972, was subjected to local adaptability tests at many experimental stations in peach growing districts of Japan. As a result, the tree was judged to be good, and was named `Saotome`, in October, 1982. The main botanical characteristics of `Saotome` suitable for dessert are as follows.
We asexually reproduced this new and distinct variety of peach tree `Chiyohime`, by grafting at the Chiyoda Experiment Farm of the Fruit Tree Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and confirmed the homogeneity and stability of `Chiyohime` according to this invention.
An application for this new variety of peach tree `Chiyohime` under the Seeds and Seedlings Law of Japan was filed on Mar. 31, 1986.